Broadchurch reporters read all about it in the Echo and the News

IT’S NOT the Dorset Echo, it’s the Broadchurch Echo – the duo who play reporters in the hit show have said how pleased they are to be back for series two. Actors Jonathan Bailey and Carolyn Pickles, who star as reporter Olly Stevens and editor Maggie Radcliffe at the Broadchurch Echo, took a brief break from their intense filming schedule to catch up on the real-life news in the local area.

Speaking to the Dorset Echo, Jonathan said: “It’s great that Broadchurch found the huge audience that it did so it’s good to be back in West Bay now. Just every day it takes you away. You can come out of the George Hotel and it feels like a holiday.”

When asked if they thought the local area added a particular atmosphere to the show, Maggie said: “Absolutely. It’s that visage and the Nordic music that is the initial feeling that you get. It’s a huge difference [compared] to the town.”

The first series of Broadchurch averaged more than nine million viewers per episode and the success of the show led to a tourism boom in Bridport and West Bay, with the show’s fans flocking to see the iconic cliffs on East Beach. Maggie said the local community had been very supportive of the cast and crew during filming.

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She added: “They are really happy that we are here, considering the effect we could have on the town – but I guess we have done something good for the town.”

Richard Stokes, the executive producer of the show, said the area was deliberately chosen to add a particular ‘feel and a look’ to Broadchurch.

He said it was like a ‘perfect storm’ between the events, the cast and the scenery that led to the first series of the show being such a smash hit.

“I think there was a unique feel and a look to Broadchurch. There was something that looked very beautiful – the blue sky and the sandy beaches,” he said.

He added it posed questions to the viewers about ‘whether something very bad can happen in a very beautiful place.’ The actors also talked about getting out more to discover the picturesque area, part of the world-famous Jurassic coastline.

Jonathan said he was hoping to take advantage of the views from the area as he did during filming of the original series, adding: “I was running up and down the clifftops last time.”

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Carolyn said: “I haven’t been out to explore yet but if I bring my own car I’d like to.”

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